Falling Upside Down
by HermioneRose
Summary: Ryan likes Chad, but Chad is confused about his feelings towards Ryan. After they are picked for an english project, will something spark between them?
1. The Project

**Author's Note: Well, here's my first Chyan story. I never written a slash story before, so just bear with me if I don't get it right! Enjoy, and chapter two is in the works. This is for a friend, so I hope they like it as well!**

**Chapter One: The Project**

Ryan sighed as he closed his locker.

It was just another day at school, where nothing exciting happened.

Atleast, to Ryan.

Today, in Creavite Writing And Poetry, Miss Zismar was going to choose partners, and Ryan hoped to be partners certain curly-haired second favorite jock.

"Ryan, are you coming?" asked a female voice who was slightly impatient.

Ryan winced, and turned around to see Sharpay Evans standing behind him.

Since they were twins, their parents thought it'd be cute if they were in the same classes together.

Ryan didn't think having Sharpay in all of his classes was "cute".

"Yeah." Ryan said.

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "Can you believe Miss Zismar won't let us choose our partners for this project?"

"I think it's fair." Ryan replied, half listening to what Sharpay was saying.

"Yeah, and so is Ms. Darbus' rule on cellphones. Please, Ryan." Sharpay replied.

Ryan couldn't help but smirk at Sharpay's complaining.

Sharpay was the Mountain Lion of East High. Nobody really fear her, but makes fun of her behind her back, especially the basketball team, who call her Ice Princess in addition to Mountain Lion.

Once they got to Miss Zismar's room, Sharpay and Ryan took their seats that were in the front row.

Miss Zismar was sitting at her desk, writing something on a piece of paper.

When she looked up to see Ryan and Sharpay enter, she smiled.

Ryan could say that she pretty. She has straight, brown hair that was shoulder-length, and brown eyes. Her smile was catching, and her voice was loud, but had a soft-spoken edge to it as well.

But, alot of people at East High said that she was a witch, but the only "witch" that Ryan could think of was his own sister, Sharpay.

Which she was being right now.

"Miss Zismar, can we please pick our partners?" Sharpay asked in her signature whiny voice.

"No, I'm sorry, Sharpay. The partners are already planned out." Miss Zismar told her as more students started to fill in, including Sharpay's crush and his sidekick, Troy Bolton and Chad Danforth.

Ryan took this time to survey the room.

It wasn't very dark, because of the lights that were lowly dimmed, and there were two room lights on. He guessed Miss Zismar wanted to keep it at a "peaceful environment" for the students to work in.

He finally looked straight ahead as the bell rang, and class began.

"Okay, class. What I told you on Friday was that today you'll get into pairs and you'll discuss your assignment, and there are many ways you can do these projects through creavite writing and poetry. You could do music projects, do a screen-play, write in a journal, and above all other things. But, just for today, I want you and your partner to discuss on what your going to-"

"Can you please get on with the partners already?" Sharpay growled, and Miss Zismar looked at her.

"-do." Miss Zismar finished, and quietly picked the piece of paper that was lying on her desk.

"Okay, and the partners are..."

"Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez."

Ryan saw Sharpay's scowl go in deeper as she watched Troy and Gabriella smile at each other.

"Sharpay Evans and Zeke Baylor."

Ryan almost laughed, because he saw Sharpay gave both Miss Zismar _and_ Zeke looks were priceless.

"Taylor McKessie and-"

Ryan went pale.

Taylor McKessie was Chad's girlfriend...or, rather, not. But, he knew that Chad liked her, just never really showed it.

"-and David Johnson."

Ryan sighed in relief, knowing there'd be a chance for him to work with Chad.

Miss Zismar went down the list until she came to the last two.

"Since there are an odd balance between girls and boys, the last two pair will be boy-boy. And they are Ryan Evans and Chad Danofrth."

Ryan couldn't get the smile that was so big on his face.

But, Chad didn't look all that happy.

He raised his hand, and Miss Zismar called on him.

"Miss Zismar, I'm sorry. But, I can't work with Ryan...can't I be switched into a different group?" he asked, and Ryan's face fell.

"I'm sorry, Chad. That's how it works. No breaking the rules." Miss Zismar said.

Chad rolled his eyes, and Ryan heard Troy say,

"Dude, be nice, will you?"

"Troy, this is Ryan were talking about. The most primo guy at East High." Chad replied.

"Maybe you can give Ryan a chance." Troy stated.

Ryan saw Chad shake his head, and he knew the conversation was over.

"Okay, I want you to get with your partners, and start talking!"

As Sharpay went to go sit next to Zeke, she whispered, "I wish I could have traded you, Ryan. Chad's better than _Zeke_."

Ryan smirked, and saw Chad coming over, with a frown on his face.

"I can not believe this." Chad muttered as he sat down in Sharpay's vacant spot.

Ryan just smiled, and said, "Well, believe it."


	2. For The Record

**Author's Note: Wow! I never excepted everyone to like this...5 reviews, 2 Favorite Story, and 1 Favorite Author! But then again, Chyan HAS gotten popular ever since I Don't Dance. And strangely, I like writing this. Enjoy chapter two, and chapter three is in the works.**

**Chapter Two: For The Record**

For the record, Chad Danforth wasn't gay.

Or, he thinks he is, he just never showed it.

Of course, everyone believed that if Troy and Gabriella were dating, chances are Taylor and Chad would be, because everyone knows that if the super-couple got together, so did their side-kicks.

But, that never happened.

Sure, Chad asked Taylor out to the after-party for the winter musical, but that was long time ago. And ever since then, Taylor had been flirting with Chad, under the careful eye of her sister's trusty boyfriend book, but Chad didn't really seem to notice.

Typical, teenaged boy.

But, what he did seem to notice was all the looks that Ryan Evans had been giving him all through the classes he had with the gang: Troy, Gabriella, Kelsi, Zeke, Jason, Sharpay, and Ryan. And most certainly, he did not like them one bit.

"Why of all people did I have be paired up with Ryan Evans? I could have just been paired off with Sharpay, and I'd still be misrable about it." Chad complained that following hour, which was lunch.

Troy gazed at his friend, ready to tell Chad that Ryan wasn't so bad. Or the fact that this past summer, he and Ryan went face-to-face in a friendly competion of baseball.

"Chad, I know you don't like Ryan-"

"Heck no I don't!"

"But, don't you think your being abit harsh about it? After all, it's not like Ryan _planned _it or anything."

Chad made a face that clearly showed that's what he thought.

Troy looked to Gabriella, and Gabriella shook her head.

Troy tried again.

"Remember that past summer at The Lava Springs Country Club? You really seemed to have enjoyed yourself."

"Troy." Chad said.

"Yes, Chad?" Troy asked.

"Are you trying to tell me I'm gay?" Chad asked with such intensity that Troy opened his mouth, but then closed it again.

"Because, I'm not gay." Chad replied.

Troy looked baffled, while everyone looked at Chad.

"No, of course not! I'm just saying that you went head-to-head with Ryan at baseball, and-"

"Yeah, but that was because he was being a cocky jerk!" Chad stated.

Troy sighed.

Chad could be a cocky jerk when he wanted to be, too, and not just Ryan.

"Well, maybe you can learn to like Ryan? Atleast for the project?" Troy asked.

Chad sighed.

What did he have to lose? After all, after this, he wouldn't have to be Ryan's partner anymore.

Right?

"Okay, fine. I'll learn to like Ryan. But, only for the sake of my grade."

Troy smiled.

"And I thought you didn't care about your grades before, Chad?"

Chad glared at him.

"Shut up, Troy."


	3. Dance Partners

**Author's Note: Here's chapter three! I like this chapter because..well...it's my favorite! Enjoy, and chapter four will be on the way. **

**Chapter Three: Dance Partners**

"You want to do a _what_?"

That was the reaction that Ryan got from Chad when they came together the next day.

"Well, yeah. A music video. You know, singing...dancing?" Ryan asked.

"No." Chad said, crossing his arms.

"It'd be fun!" Ryan replied.

He thought he saw a smile on Chad's face, but a frown replaced it.

"If you think I'm going to be like Sharpay, think again, Evans. No way am I dancing with _you_!"

Ryan's face fell, and Chad shook his head.

"No...I didn't mean it like that!" Chad said.

"Then what do you mean?" Ryan asked.

"Not any...tango, or salsa, or...anything that contacts with the body." Chad explained.

Ryan nodded, but he still felt disappointed.

"Okay, then. We won't."

He never knew Chad could be so stubborn.

Or as a jerk, ever since they played that baseball game.

But, he liked Chad, though.

Just not when he's being a jerk or stubborn.

Miss Zismar came to them with a clipboard in her hand.

"So, what are you guys doing?" she asked.

"A music video." Ryan told her.

He thought Miss Zismar looked at them all weird, but then she smiled.

"Okay. A music video. Let me know what the song is, Ryan before you start doing anything." Miss Zismar told him.

"Are my eyes playing tricks on me, or did she look...grossed out?" Chad asked.

Ryan chuckled at Chad's question.

"Well, maybe she wasn't. Alot of guys dance together."

He swore that he saw Chad's eyes go wide.

"Okay, I said no dancing with you. And did you mistaken Blades Of Glory for something else?" Chad explained.

"No, of course I didn't. I'm just telling you that-"

He saw Chad close his eyes, and Ryan frowned.

"God help me." Chad muttered.

"I promise I won't make you dance with me. Besides, you _don't_ have to dance if you don't too, you know." Ryan told him.

Chad opened his eyes to look at Ryan.

"But, I have to. It's for my grade."

Ryan smirked.

Since when did Chad Danforth thought about school? All he did was make comments about the teachers.

Why the sudden change of heart, was what he wanted to know.

"If you say so, Chad." Ryan said.

Chad glared at Ryan.

"I'm serious, okay?" Chad asked.

Ryan smiled.

"Yeah, I know."

When the bell had rung, Ryan had forgotten to wait for Sharpay, and walked out of the classroom, wearing the biggest grin on his face.

He was going to get Chad Danforth to dance with him, whether he liked it or not.


	4. This Or That?

**Author's Note: Here's chapter four! Chapter five will be up shortly!**

**Chapter Four: This Or That?**

When Chad got home from school, what did he first was went up to his room, and sat on his bed, and thought about the past few days.

With Ryan as his partner, that was.

And when Ryan suggested a music video, that's when Chad started to feel abit umcomfortable.

Also, creeped out.

He didn't want to tell Troy that he was about to quit, because then Troy would just then push him back in.

Chad laid down on his back, and pictured Ryan's face when he told him he wasn't going to be dancing with him, and he sighed.

Maybe he _was_ abit harsh, but, two guys dancing together?

That was certainly out of the question for him.

But, Ryan did say that that Chad didn't have to dance with him, but for the sake of his grade, he needed to.

Heck, he _had_ too!

His cellphone rang, and he picked up it, relived it was Troy.

"Hey. How's the partner thing going?" Troy asked.

"Horrible. He excepted me to dance with him. _Dance_ with him, Troy!" Chad explained.

He heard Troy laugh.

"That's just Ryan, Chad. Remember, your doing this for your grade." Troy reminded him.

"Don't remind me." Chad muttered.

"I know Ryan isn't your favorite person, but Creavite Writing is only for a semster, and by next year, he won't be in your english clas." Troy replied.

"Yeah..." Chad started, still having the mental image of Ryan in his mind.

It wouldn't hurt to dance with him, but if Ryan thought if they'd do any tango or salsa, that's where Chad crossed the line.

What did he thought their music video would be? A Blades Of Glory remake?

Chad shook his head.

No. He told Ryan he wouldn't dance with him, and that was that.

"Listen, I gotta go. Gabriella is coming over to our project, so I'll see you at school, tomorrow?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, sure." Chad replied, and Troy clicked off, leaving Chad to just hear the dial-tone.

Chad sighed, and threw his cellphone aside.

Suddenly, his cellphone rang, and his eyebrow raised at the number, which was indeed strange to him.

He clicked send anyways, because...well...that's what he does.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Chad?"

Chad almost fell off the bed.

"Evans!" he explained.

He almost see Ryan smiling.

"Where...no, the perfect question is: how did you get my number?" Chad asked, angry at Ryan.

"I got it from Troy." Ryan said simply, not noticing Chad's anger.

"Ryan, whatever you have to say, I will not listen." Chad stated.

"Oh. Well, I just thought-"

"No, I have not made up my mind about dancing with you." Chad said flatly.

"Okay."

Chad sighed, and bit his lip.

Ryan sounded...disappointed.

"Ryan if it made you happy, I'll dance with you."

He could almost see Ryan's smile turning into a grin, and Chad shivered.

"Thanks, Chad!" Ryan explained.

"Yeah, just don't tell anyone, or I'll come after you with a club." Chad said, almost smiling at Ryan's perkiness.

"That's what I wanted to ask you about, anyways." Ryan replied.

"Okay, then..." Chad explained.

"'Bye!" Ryan's "'Bye" was so sudden, that Chad didn't have to say anything.

Well, for the first time in history, Chad Danforth and Ryan Evans were going to dance to gether.

What will East High think about that?


	5. Tango For Two

**Author's Note: Thanks to my lovely beta, I have a new chapter for you, which is better, and longer! Enjoy, and keep on the look out for chapter six. **

**Chapter Five: Tango For Two **

Ryan dropped the small silver boom box beside him, and it made a loud thud as  
it made contact with the floor. Today, he and Chad were finally going to  
dance, and, as expected, Ryan was extremely giddy about it.

Well, of course he'd be excited about it; he was East High's Master of  
Dance. Anything that dealt with dance was Ryan's forte, as far as he was  
concerned.

Ryan looked at the clock at the top of the doors, and he realized it was past  
three o' clock, the time he'd scheduled the lessons with his partner.

Where in the world was Chad?

"Hey Evans!" A voice shouted from one of the doors.

Ryan looked around to see Chad Danforth coming into the auditorium, wearing a  
not-so-pleased smile on his face, unlike Ryan whose grin was one hundred  
percent genuine.

"Where were you?" He asked, trying not to look him as he came on stage.

For today, Chad was wearing a plain white tank top, a black over-shirt, faded  
blue jeans that had tears along the sides, and simple white sneakers.

Even though he was dressed casually, Ryan had to admit that Chad looked hot.

"I was chatting with Troy." Chad said defensively, crossing his arms with a  
frown.

Ryan tried to focus on the conversation, he really did, but Chad was making  
it difficult for him. Honestly, he looked like Sex on a Silver Platter!

He winced inwardly; that was overly perverted, even for him.  
"Hey, I have a question." Ryan began, fiddling with the end of his designer  
shirt. It was one of his favorites: the blue-white-and-pink pinstriped one.

"Yeah?" Chad asked as he came closer to where Ryan stood.

"Why do you call me Evans? Why not 'Ryan'?"

Chad smiled, and it was first time Ryan had seen him smile since the whole  
project had started.

"Why can't I call you Evans? It's better than 'Drama King', and I don't  
think you want to end up like your sister… Do you?"

Ryan blinked stupidly, and responded,

"Well, no… But--"

"Then it's settled. I'm calling you Evans, whether you like it or not." Chad  
said with finality.

Chad took one nervous glance at the portable radio Ryan had brought along,  
and then looked back at Ryan.

"So, what music are we... um… dancing to?"

Chad's cringe when he said 'dancing' didn't go past Ryan unnoticed,  
and even though he knew he should have felt the slightest bit offended, he  
caught himself smiling instead.

"Well, I did some asking around, and my parents suggested-"

"You asked your parents?" Chad practically bellowed, disbelief painted on his  
features. Ryan couldn't help but to roll his blue eyes.

"Yeah. Anyway, they personally suggested Tango Suite, or the Baliamos." Ryan  
explained.

Chad looked at him like he grew a second head, and shook his mane of hair  
around.

"So... They're…?" Chad asked. He looked completely lost after Ryan's  
show of dance-slang. Ryan sighed, both frustrated and amused, and ran a hand  
through his blonde spiky hair.

"They're both dance numbers, but if we're going to be singing as well, my  
mom told me that we'd have to do the Baliamos dance sequence." Ryan  
explained, and with that said, he switched on the boom box. Colorful, original  
Spanish music filled the air, music that made even Chad feel like dancing.

Ryan paused the music when he noticed Chad looking completely bewildered. The  
poor basketball player had the same expression on from when Ryan admitted  
he'd asked his parents for advice for their project.

"Uh...you know what?" Chad began uneasily, shifting away from Ryan and the  
threatening boom box.

"I think singing's more than enough for me to handle. Dancing… well, I  
just don't think—" Ryan cut in, feeling exasperated for what seemed like  
the millionth time.

"Look, if you're afraid of dancing with me just because I'm a guy, then  
think of me as a girl: Taylor, perhaps. See? Problem solved." He couldn't  
help but be a tad short with the stupid, thickheaded Danforth; anyone would  
feel hurt if their crush didn't even want to do something as simple as  
dancing with them.

"Um, sorry man, but there's no way I'm pretending you're some girl.  
It's bad enough you usually dance with your sister. And now, for some odd,  
strange, reason, you want to dance. With me." Chad said with emphasis.

"Listen, don't be so rude. I won't do anything weird, or whatever you're  
thinking. Let's just dance, okay?" Ryan huffed, prepared to press the  
'play' button on the stereo.  
"What about the singing?" Chad asked.

"We'll get to that later. Today, we master the dance."  
Chad looked at him cautiously, narrowing his brown eyes in suspicion.

"Are you sure you're not going to pull anything funny on me?" He asked.

"Of course not." Ryan replied, giving a scout's honor salute before  
pressing the play button on the boom box.

Once again, music filled the air, and Ryan smiled invitingly at Chad.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Whatever." Chad replied with as much boredom as he could, watching Ryan go  
through the first dance routine.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ryan spotted Chad subtly bopping his head to  
the music. He felt himself grin for what seemed like the millionth time that  
day.

"Wanna try a quick tango?" Ryan asked, knowing that it was a pointless thing  
to ask of Chad.

"No! I told you-"

"Please, Chad?" Ryan asked, giving his best hurt-puppy-face.

"Evans, nothing on earth would make me want to-"

"Troy told me your inspiration was getting a decent grade!" Ryan prompted,  
and Chad's expression changed to a grimace, like he tasted something bitter  
and sour at once.

"He told you that?" Chad asked quietly, looking beaten. Ryan nodded in the  
affirmative.

"Fine...I will. But if anyone finds out, you're dead. And your sister will  
have to replace you with Zeke. Got that?"

Chad asked stubbornly, trying his best to pull off a threatening look. Ryan  
held himself from laughing out loud.

"Okay, great. Have you ever done a tango before?" Ryan asked, starting to  
loosen his body up with a few simple dance moves.  
"Well, I've seen them on TV, but never done a tango."

"Then I think, with some practice, you'd get the hang of it quite quickly."

"But, it was between a guy and a girl, Evans. Not a guy and a guy!" Chad  
practically screeched out, stressing his sentence by tossing out his hands.  
Ryan refrained from rolling his eyes again.

"Just relax, alright? There's no difference if a person and a horse does  
it: there's a leader, and a follower. If it helps, then just picture me as a  
girl for five minutes, and  
I promise the whole thing will go smoothly. Just to keep your ego all nice  
and fluffed up, you can lead." Ryan said with a smirk at the end, waiting for  
Chad to come up to him.  
Chad still looked unconvinced, but he let Ryan pull his body towards his.  
After a few moments of telling where to put his hands, they were in a tango  
posture.

"Remember, Evans, no funny stuff." Chad warned, and Ryan sighed, and nodded.

"Yeah, I know. You told me that a million times already; how could I forget?"

They didn't dance too long, but Chad was doing the steps almost completely  
correctly. He was just instructing Chad how to do a successful dip, and just  
when everything seemed to be going okay…

"Dude!"

Chad, in surprise, let his arms slacken, causing a poor, defenseless Ryan to  
land on the floor, back first.

"Ow." Was all he muttered, and just lay there. "What's your problem  
now?" he asked, glancing up at Chad, who seemed to have a very disgusted  
look on his features.

"You were...going to kiss me!" Chad shouted, and Ryan cocked his head.

"I was? Chad, how could I have kissed you if I was just finishing off a dip?"  
he asked.

"You were going to! Listen, let's wrap it up for today, okay?" Chad  
didn't wait for Ryan to respond, and was out of the auditorium in record  
time.

But, Ryan argued with himself, he didn't remember leaning in to kiss Chad!

…Did he almost kiss Chad?

But what tore him away from his thinking was a lone figure, armed with a  
camera, making their way over to the entrance. Ryan's eyes widened in  
disbelief.

If Chad didn't want to do this project now, just wait until he found out  
there was someone else-with a camera-with them while they were doing the  
Unspeakable Tango.


	6. The Picture Is Revealed

**Author's Note: Oh, man...the tenison! Haha. Anyways, here's the newest chapter, and I just wanted to thank my lovely beta again! Thanks so much, hon! After some thought, I want to do a sequel to this, but only if people want me too. I don't know if other authors who do slash do this or not, I'll see. Keep watch for the seventh chapter!**

**Chapter Six: The Picture Is Revealed**  
What came the next day wasn't what Chad had in mind.

After his close call with something he liked to call the "kiss of doom", he  
was certain he didn't want to work with Ryan anymore, the issue of his grades  
shoved aside, but with Troy nagging at him every second to continue on, he  
just had to. Besides, the project made up a huge part of their English grade,  
and everyone knew that you had to obtain at least a C+ average to stay on a  
sports team at East High.

But, Chad swore, if that primo boy stepped within ten feet of him when they  
weren't working on their English assignment, Chad was seriously going to let  
loose and hurt the little twig.

"So how was your dance practice yesterday?" Troy casually asked as he and  
Chad were heading to the gym for basketball practice.

"Look, man, whatever Evans said to you, it didn't happen." Chad replied  
tersely, and Troy looked at him with one eyebrow raised skeptically.

"Okay... So, anyway, I--" Troy stopped what he was saying, and his blue eyes  
widened.

"Troy, what's wrong, man? ...Oh, crap!"

Where the extremely large poster of the Wildcats Basketball Team usually  
hung, a different picture was placed.

The enlarged picture showed none other than Chad and Ryan; in a tango  
position when it looked like Ryan was about to kiss Chad.

Troy looked at Chad, and Chad looked at Troy.

"I-I didn't know there was someone else in the auditorium!" Chad hissed  
quietly, trying not to draw attention.

"Relax, it's fine dude... Maybe Ryan had the music up too loud or  
something..."  
Troy replied absently, still engrossed with the large poster.

"Hey Chad, Troy, what's—"

But Ryan didn't have any time to finish his greeting before Chad stalked over  
to him and pinned the poor, unsuspecting Ryan into a locker. Keeping his arms  
locked on his smaller frame, Chad growled out,

"How in the world did this happen, Evans? Are you trying to make me look like  
a ?" His eyes were ablaze, and Ryan's own eyes widened in shock and fear.

"Chad, what in the world are you talking about?" Ryan sputtered.

"Yeah, and I'm supposed to believe that innocent act? You obviously planned  
on doing this to ruin my rep, because you're jealous or something," Chad  
glared hard at Ryan's face, never letting up in his death grip.

"Chad, let Ryan go." Troy demanded, finally tearing his eyes away from the  
poster. He walked over to the locker where Chad held Ryan in a hostage  
position.

Chad sighed, but listened to his friend and let go of Ryan. Ryan instantly  
backed away from Chad, smoothing out his clothes in nervousness.

"I seriously have no idea what you guys are talking about. What picture?"  
Ryan asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

Chad was about to repeat his earlier actions and pin Ryan against a bright  
red locker, but Troy quickly pointed out to Ryan the picture. He looked just  
as shocked as Chad and Troy were.

"How..." Ryan asked, but his expression changed to realization.

"What? Evans, if you had anything to do with this, I swear-" Chad started,  
but Ryan held up one hand and shook his head.

"I didn't have anything to do with this, honest. But, what I do know is that  
after you left, I noticed someone walking out of the auditorium with a camera.  
I didn't see a flash or hear a click. Maybe the music was too loud… but I  
know I had nothing to do with this." Ryan explained.

Troy shook his head and turned to look at Chad.

"Come on. If my dad finds out we're late like last year, he'll have our  
heads."

"No. Not until I find out who-"

"Enjoying the view with your boyfriend, Danforth?" A sneering voice asked,  
cutting Chad off in the midst of his sentence.

Troy, Chad, and Ryan turned around simultaneously to see two guys standing in  
the middle of the hallway, wearing identical grins of glee on their faces.

One of the guys was tall with green eyes and curly, dirty blond hair. He was  
wearing a black t-shirt with a white hoodie over it, jeans, and a pair of  
green-and-black skater shoes.

The guy next to him wasn't very tall, but he couldn't be called short.  
Compared to his partner's looks, his was the complete opposite. He had  
straight brown hair, and brown eyes that matched the shade of his locks. He  
was wearing a brown t-shirt, with one word, 'Wildcats', on it, plain  
jeans, and regular black tennis shoes.

These two high school seniors were none other than Dennis Cornwall and  
Anthony Zimmerman.

Chad was about to slash out-verbally, maybe physically-at them, but Troy held  
him back.

Ryan was the only one to ask, "You guys did this?"

Dennis smiled a malicious, skin-tingling smile.

"That's right, little drama boy."

Finally, Chad broke free of Troy's grasp, and angrily narrowed his eyes at  
the two of them.

"Look, just because you didn't make the squad doesn't mean you can take your  
anger out on Evans like that!"

He knew that the instant those words practically flew out of his mouth it was  
a horrid mistake.

"So you really are freaks! What did it feel like to kiss Ryan, Chad?" Dennis  
taunted. Chad blushed and glared at Ryan, who just stared down at his  
expensive, brand-name shoes.

"It didn't even happen! I pulled away before he could have... Besides, it's  
none of your business." Chad announced defensively, folding his arms across  
his chest.

Dennis shook his head disbelievingly and grinned.

"None of my business? What about you? The last time this school has seen  
complete drama was when you," He pointed rudely at a fuming Troy, "and  
Montez starred in that Twinkle Toes musical, and you guys," He turned and  
gestured grandiosely at Ryan and Chad, "had to go along and do a-" 

That was when Chad snapped, and he pounded Dennis into a locker, making the  
metal doors rattle. Troy turned and walked off somewhere.

"Look, me and Evans were just doing that for a project in English. We were  
doing fine until you had to show up with your camera, and make it seem like it  
was biggest scandal in the world! So what if a couple of guys dance together?  
Tons of them do." Chad explained while Dennis's eyes went into  
bugging-out-mode.

"You really are gay!" Dennis cried when he was able to speak without  
squeaking or gasping out.

Chad frowned and released Dennis as if the boy were on fire, and Dennis then  
ran to Anthony. They quickly made their getaway, running down the hall without  
looking back.

Chad sighed and slid down on the floor, resting his head between his knees.

"Chad?" Ryan hesitantly asked.

"Go away, Evans." Chad mumbled monotonously.

"Um...What you said back there… That was pretty cool of you." Ryan  
complimented, feeling heat rise to his face.

"Yeah, well..." Chad coughed out, but then Troy came back with his dad. Coach  
Bolton looked around.

"What was going on here?" He asked.

"Dennis and Anthony, Mr. Bolton." Chad spat out vehemently, glaring at  
the tiled floor.

Troy looked at Ryan, who feebly nodded. Turning around, Troy showed his dad  
the large poster.

When Jack Bolton saw it, he shook his head disdainfully. Without taking his  
eyes away from the large display, he muttered,

"Boys, I think I'll cancel basketball practice for today. I'm also  
going to have to report this to the principal. Troy, why don't you drive  
Chad home? Ryan, do you need a ride?" Jack Bolton asked.

Ryan shook his head. "No. But I can call my sister… She left with the  
car, unfortunately."

Jack nodded in the affirmative, and Ryan said an awkward goodbye to the  
three.

When Ryan left, Troy sat down beside Chad and looked at his best friend with  
concern on his face.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Chad finally looked up to face his friend.

"No, of course I'm not. What Dennis said..." Chad started, and Troy  
smiled gently.

"Hey, I'm open for anything, Chad. Who said my best friend had to be  
straight?" he asked, and Chad's eyes went wide.

"What?" Chad practically screeched, surprised at Troy's answer.

"Yeah. We all kind of knew it all along, Chad; we were just waiting for you  
to figure it out. But you always had to be a macho-man and deny everything."  
Troy explained with a mischievous grin.

"But-Taylor, and-and…" Chad replied.

"I wouldn't really worry about her. Gabby always said it was just a  
little schoolgirl crush. Now, I think it's Ryan you should be thinking  
about. After all, I think he's probably more affected by all of this than  
you. I mean, everyone knows he's gay, but, well, with you being so rude to  
him…" Troy trailed off, scratching the back of his head. Chad nodded in  
understanding.

"Look man, thanks for the advice. And thanks for accepting me for who I  
am," Chad grinned, and Troy smiled back. They slammed the knuckles of their  
fists together in a handshake.  
"No prob, dude. No prob." 


	7. Chad's Feelings

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait, folks. Here's chapter seven, thanks to my lovely beta! Chapter eight will be on the way!**

**Chapter Seven: Chad's Feelings**  
After Ryan had dialed Sharpay, who had been extremely temperamental that  
he'd called her right after she had gotten home, Ryan went to the  
auditorium, since that was the only place that he thought of where he could  
safely escape what had just occurred.

Sitting on the stage, his hat shading his downcast blue eyes, Ryan thought  
about what had just happened: the picture, Dennis and Anthony, and-most of  
all-Chad.

He hadn't seen Chad so angered since...well...ever.

He never expected the frizzy-haired jock to get so , especially over  
something so small that could've just been an innocent prank.

Well, at least, that's what Ryan thought. He knew that Chad didn't think like  
he did: Ryan couldn't completely understand what Chad had felt and was  
feeling right now, because they were two extremely different people. He was a  
complete sucker for drama class, while Chad was all for gym period. He loved  
to color-coordinate, and it looked like Chad just threw on whatever was on his  
bedroom floor in the morning before rushing off to school.

Ryan was startled out of his thoughts at the sound of a door opening and  
closing. Glancing up, he heard someone familiar, someone he wished he didn't  
have to run into, shout out,  
"Evans!"

Ryan quickly lowered his head, fumbling with the rim of his hat while Chad  
made his way towards the row of seats Ryan was sitting in.

"Don't be like that, Evans." Chad sighed, taking the seat beside him.

Ryan didn't look up or speak, but he nodded.

"Look, Troy got it through my head that you were probably more stirred up  
from all of this, and, well...I wanted to apologize, for being such a jerk."  
Chad stated, looking at Ryan's lowered head.

Ryan finally moved to look up at Chad.

"Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything to me." Ryan said, confusion  
covering his features.

"Well, while we were working on the project, I was being rude to you, and if  
you wanted me to dance with you, I should have instead of arguing and being a  
moron." Chad reasoned, scratching the back of his neck in humiliation.

"But you did though. And I told you that you didn't have to dance with me if  
you didn't want to, remember?" Ryan asked.

"No, you had to plead to me, over and over again. Your "you don't have to  
dance with me" statement didn't really follow through for very long now, did  
it?"

Ryan couldn't resist smirking.

"Well, it was a music video, you know. Singing wasn't going to cut it."  
Ryan pointed out.

"But you knew I wasn't good at dancing." Chad argued.

"That's why I showed you! I wasn't going to have a partner who didn't want to  
dance."

Ryan saw dark, red splotches appear on Chad's cheeks, and his face broke out  
in a grin when he realized that Chad was blushing.

"Uh-no. Of course not." Chad stuttered.

"So…you're not mad about the picture?" Ryan frowned, remembering the  
little situation that happened not too long ago.

"Why are you saying like it's your fault? It's not, and I'll get over it."  
Chad said, raising an eyebrow at Ryan.

"If I haven't made you dance, Dennis and Anthony wouldn't have taken that  
picture, then there wouldn't be a poster slapped on a wall in East High."  
Ryan uttered slowly, as if explaining something to a small child of five.

"Yeah, but I found something out today..." Chad responded hesitantly, facing  
Ryan, and giving him a smile.

"What, that you can dance?" Ryan asked with a slight teasing smirk.

"No…" Chad drifted off.

"Then what did you find out, then?" Ryan asked.

"That I'm gay." Chad replied boldly, folding his arms across his broad, hard  
chest.

Ryan didn't know how to react, so he just sat there like a fish out of  
water.

Chad Danforth, the big man on campus, only topped off by Troy Bolton, was  
gay? Unbelievable.

"Well-um...that's nice." Ryan squeaked out anxiously.

Well, wasn't this what he dreamed about all summer? That Chad would soon  
magically realize that he wasn't exactly straight?

Chad frowned and furrowed his eyebrows.

"I thought you'd be happy that I'm gay! Ever since you tried to kiss me, I  
figured that you liked me or something." Chad muttered loudly with confusion.

"Well, I just assumed that you weren't. I mean you hid it pretty well." Ryan  
commented offhand, still feeling jittery from his toenails to his forehead.

Chad shook his head and smiled warmly.

"Troy told me it was so completely obvious."

Ryan still couldn't believe what he was hearing, but he gave the curly-haired  
boy a smile nonetheless.

"Who do you like then?" Ryan asked, mentally crossing his fingers for luck  
that it was he Chad was interested in.

"Well, you see, he's-"

So suddenly, a noise that sounded like a cell phone ring tone came out of  
nowhere, and Ryan held up a finger. He dug out his blinking, ringing cell and  
flipped it open.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Ryan, where are you? I've been waiting for like, half an hour!" Sharpay's  
shrill, piercing voice snapped through the speaker. Ryan couldn't help  
wincing.

"Sorry, Shar. I'll be right out." Ryan promised and he clamped his cell phone  
shut. He turned to Chad, giving him an apologetic smile.

"Sorry to cut the conversation short, but my sister is waiting. She sounds  
pretty annoyed that I had to drag her back to the school just to pick me up."  
Ryan replied.

"No problem. I think Troy's waiting for me anyway." Chad shrugged, and got up  
from the seat.

As Ryan began to pick up his things, Chad started to walk down the stairs,  
which gave Ryan the time to call out,

"So, are we still doing the project?"

Chad turned around to face Ryan.

"Yeah. I still need that good grade, don't I?"


	8. Freedom At Last Or Not?

**Author's Note: Here's chapter eight! No more waiting, and I'm so sorry! Desi, thanks again, hon! Your too sweet!**

**Chapter Eight: Freedom At Last...Or Not?  
**  
Ever since Chad confessed that he was gay, he didn't feel an unbearable,  
painful weight hefted onto his shoulders anymore.

Of course, there was still his secret crush on Ryan. He was relieved that  
Sharpay's phone call stopped him from admitting that to the lithe little  
Drama King himself. He just wasn't really ready for that kind of exposure.  
Bringing out his sexual orientation was a big enough step for the moment,  
thank you very much.

He had to admit, though… It would have been a lot better for his sanity if  
he had wound up blurting it out to Ryan in the heat of the moment. It felt  
like Chad could've told Ryan anything then, because of how great he felt for  
being out in the open with his gay-ness.

"So, you've apologized to Ryan?" Troy asked Chad the following day. Chad  
glanced up at his best friend, shaking some of his unruly curls out of his  
face.

"Yeah. I did. And I explained to him about...you know." Chad replied  
uncomfortably while Troy grinned.

"Hey, good job, man. It couldn't have been very easy." Troy explained.

"What? Are you saying your gay too?" Chad gasped, in mock surprise.

"No, I'm not. If I were, I wouldn't be dating Gabriella. Duh." Troy pointed  
out to him as they took their seats in Miss Zismar's classroom.

Sharpay and Ryan entered the classroom, their expensive shoes tapping on the  
linoleum floor in sync, and Chad's cheeks instantly combusted in a powerful  
rosy color.

He never acted like this these the past few days, so what was it that caused  
him to change so suddenly?  
It was all really plain and simple. He was Ryan Evans.

Troy raised eyebrow at Chad, and Chad looked at him, startled.

"What?" he muttered quickly.  
"You're blushing." Troy stated, as if it were a crime to blush.

Chad lifted a finger to his left cheek, poked the skin there, and he shook  
his head. He couldn't be blushing no jock would do that. But then again, it  
was probably a one-in-a-million chance that a jock turned out to be gay.

Well, except for Troy-the-jock, whenever Gabriella called during a basketball  
practice.

But Chad Danforth, in the history of ever, hadn't ever blushed like this.

"Dude, it's alright." Troy assured.

"No, it's not. Guys don't blush." Chad explained.

Troy gave him a look, and Chad rolled his eyes.

"Except for you." Chad said defensively.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ryan's face light up in a smile, and  
Chad's blush began to go into a deeper state of red.

Before Chad got to hear one of Troy's inputs, two figures came into the room,  
and marched up to Chad's desk.

They were none other than Dennis and Anthony.

"Hey, shouldn't you be in class?" Chad snapped.

"Cool it, Danforth. We just want to talk." Dennis said, and Anthony nodded.

Chad rose from his desk and followed them cautiously, stealing a quick glance  
at  
Ryan.

Ryan's face showed sheer concern, but Chad shook it off as a trick of the  
lighting in the room.

Once they were out in the hallway, Dennis grabbed Chad, and pinned him  
against a fire truck-red locker, just like Chad had done to him two days  
previous.

"We know about your secret, Danforth." Dennis murmured.

"What secret?" Chad demanded with a glare, hiding his nervousness.

Dennis smiled, and it wasn't a smile that Chad would consider all that  
"friendly".

"That you're gay." Dennis said.

Chad's tenseness transformed to pure anger.

"So what if I am? That doesn't mean you can beat me up. Hell, I don't think  
the two of you could beat me up," Chad hissed. He forced himself out of the  
hold of Dennis, pushing the boy away. Anthony stood a ways away from Chad and  
Dennis, looking weary but defiant.

Dennis grimaced, and shook his head.

"We don't like your kind. It's bad enough that Primo Boy in there," He  
pointed to the open classroom door, "Is wandering the halls, making a fool  
out of himself." he explained, and Chad stalked Dennis right into the  
lockers.

"You leave Ryan out of this! He didn't do anything to you!" Chad snarled as  
quietly as he could.

Dennis smirked.

"You've got another thing coming for you, Danforth. Once the word's out  
about your dirty little secret, you won't be so big anymore, will you?  
They'll just pretend to like you because Bolton is your best friend, and  
everyone favors the big cheese."

And Chad did something he'd never thought he'd do: he reared his arm back and  
slugged another guy.

Dennis' head slammed into the metal of the locker behind him and rattled a  
bit. There was a single pause, an intense moment as Dennis slowly lifted his  
one hand up to trace along the small welt on his lip. He pulled his hand back  
and looked down at the red blood staining his fingertips. He slowly tilted his  
head up to glare at Chad, who looked completely flabbergasted with himself.

"Danforth!" Dennis roared out, and with that, he slammed his fist into Chad's  
lower abdomen, resulting in Chad losing his breath and nearly keeling over. He  
struggled to right himself, and Dennis was getting ready to kick him in the  
shin when a small voice sounded,

"Chad? Miss Zismar wants to know if--"

Chad heard Ryan stop talking as the blonde gasped out in shock. Ryan walked  
up to where Chad was and helped him stand back up, holding Chad's one arm  
carefully.

"What's going on here?" he asked, sounding very off.

"None of your beeswax, Sir Diva." Dennis growled, clenching his reddened  
fists at his sides.

"What do you want with Chad?" Ryan said steadily, his eyes cold and  
demanding.

"Like I said, none of your business! It's just between Tony, Danforth and I."  
Dennis warned him.

"It's my business too, if it involves Chad getting hurt. Chad's one of my  
friends now." Ryan hissed defensively.

"Do you want to end up like your friend?" Dennis challenged, his fist  
raised.

Ryan's eyes narrowed as Dennis' fist came closer to his face.

"If you lay one finger on Evans, I swear I'll have your butt kicked." Chad  
threatened weakly, glaring hatefully at Dennis. Dennis laughed deeply, getting  
ready to give special attention to Chad's body with his two fists, and  
everyone, including Ryan himself, was completely taken aback when Ryan's  
small, seemingly stick-like leg shot up and kicked Dennis in his… special,  
sacred place.

Choking on the very air he was easily breathing a moment ago, Dennis leaned  
forward and hugged his lower waist tenderly as he cursed loudly. Chad looked  
to Ryan with delighted surprise, and Ryan looked taken away and upset.

"Are you—" Ryan began, getting ready to tenderly touch Dennis'  
shoulder, but Anthony stopped him, coming up in front of his very much in pain  
friend. He glared at Ryan and Chad while helping his friend up.

"Don't even, Evans. Danforth, you and your little boy toy had better  
watch yourselves! You've got another thing coming, but for now, we're done  
here!"

With that, the two of them were off down the hall, Anthony hauling Dennis'  
almost completely-limp frame with him as he stepped.

Chad's face broke out in a grin, and he turned to congratulate Ryan with a  
pat on the back, but stopped, his smile fading, as he saw the look of raw  
terror on Ryan's face.

"Are you okay?" he asked cautiously.

"Oh my god, what did I just do!" Ryan screeched, putting his shaking  
hands up to his face.

"Ryan, calm down! The guy had it coming anyway."

"Still, I shouldn't have done that." He sounded near tears, and just as  
Chad was about to console him, Ryan muttered,

"Come on. I'll bring you down to the nurse's office."

With a quick note to Miss Zismar, Chad and Ryan made their way to the nurse's  
office in tense silence. Ryan didn't look like saying a word, and Chad was  
throwing worried glances over to his English partner, trying to gauge if  
saying something would make the situation worse.

"So, what started that fight?" Ryan asked, not sounding at all interested.  
Chad followed Ryan's diversion, though, for the sake of the other's  
sanity.

"I can't really remember, but I knew Dennis didn't like what happened."  
Chad explained.

"Chad, not everyone is comfortable around people who are gay, especially  
people like Dennis who seem to think homosexuals are incarnates of Satan  
himself." Ryan ranted, tossing his hands out in emphasis. His high-strung  
emotions bled through his tirade.

"But--"

"Remember how you were around me?" Ryan asked.

"Well yeah, but that was before I knew I was gay! Look dude, I just noticed  
two days ago, give me a break!" Chad stated, and Ryan gave a small, tense  
smile.

Once they made it to their destination, Ryan and Chad went inside.

"What happened?" asked Nurse Lopez.

"Chad got into a fight." Ryan explained simply, and Nurse Lopez instructed  
Chad to sit on a bed.

As Nurse Lopez went to go make some phone calls and get an ice pack, Chad  
looked at Ryan.

"Look, part of the reason why I got into that fight was because he said some  
pretty stupid and rude things about you, and I just wanted him to stop. I  
didn't want to fight." Chad clarified. Ryan gave him another smile that seemed  
a little more real, and brighter.

"Really? Thanks, Chad. I think… I would've done the same if I were in  
your position and someone was insulting you." Ryan admitted, blushing.

Chad smiled.

"If I didn't see you kicking poor Dennis in the goods back there, I'd say  
you're too twig-like to do any real damage." He teased, and Ryan chuckled a  
bit humorlessly,

"But still, I didn't think I'd kick him… I mean, I thought about it,  
but it was like, instinct, when I did that." Ryan said, a bit defensively.  
Chad patted Ryan on the back.

"It's fine, Evans. Don't go ballistic just because you hurt someone. I  
mean, if we're lucky, Dennis won't ever be able to properly function after  
this." He winked, and Ryan couldn't help laughing out loud.

"Thanks, Chad. Not just for making me feel better and fighting Dennis  
because he said some things about me, but for everything." Ryan said quietly  
smiling genuinely.

Their conversation was cut short when Nurse Lopez came back.

"Okay, Mr. Evans. You can go back to class. I have Mr. Danforth taken care  
of." she said.

Ryan nodded, smiled warmly at Chad, and left. Chad, while waiting to be  
picked up, began to think about Ryan in a whole new light. 


	9. Another Secret Revealed

**Author's Note**: Here's the latest chapter! Thursday and Friday I'll be gone to camp (yeah...who does camp in the FALL? Apparently, the people who run the camp!), so I won't be able to update for two days, but it'll give me some time to think about wrapping up my offical, and first, Chyan story. Happy reading! And thanks, Desi!

After the fight, it seemed as though Ryan and Chad grew the tiniest bit  
closer, but much to Ryan's disappointment, just as friends.

And Ryan was definitely a bit let down because he had hoped that, after the  
fight, something might have sparked between him and Chad. 

But apparently nothing came out of it in the romantic sense, because the  
frizzy-haired Chad only seemed to treat him as a close buddy.

It was three o' clock on a Monday afternoon, and with so much apparent  
struggling in the dancing field in Chad's case, Ryan decided that it was  
time to teach him the choreography that went along with their project's  
music, to avoid any embarrassment on both of their parts.

And Ryan was impressed on how quickly and how much Chad had picked up on the  
moves, and it looked like he remembered whatever he did. And he didn't think  
a Wildcat would be good at dancing!

"Hey, Ryan!" 

Ryan smiled slowly as Chad galloped into the auditorium, looking like he had  
the energy of a small hyperactive puppy, but the limp that was evident as he  
made his way towards the stage toned down that comparison. Ryan was instantly  
reminded of the fight, and his smile evaporated into a frown.

Chad frowned also as he plopped down into the chair next to Ryan.

"What's wrong?" Ryan asked quickly, concern shown on his face. He reached out  
to touch Chad's tense shoulder, but the other boy moved away before Ryan was  
able to make contact with his shirt. He got up, trying to hide his obvious  
pain, and mumbled.

"It's nothing...let's just get started."

Chad watched as Ryan dejectedly got the music sheets out of a blue plastic  
folder, and Ryan saw Chad shake his voluptuous curly head through his  
peripheral vision.

"Evans, you've been acting strange ever since that fight. What's up?" Chad  
asked, the cordiality absent in his tone.

"Chad, it's nothing, okay? Let's get this project finished, because it's due  
Friday, you know." Ryan said in clipped tones, slapping the folder shut after  
grabbing the correct music sheets out of its pockets. Chad rolled his eyes as  
Ryan's back was to him, and bit back a sarcastic and/or biting comment as he  
sighed.

"Evans, it's Monday. Let's just stop for a minute, so you can fill me in on  
what's wrong. I'm your friend, remember?"

Yes, his unbelievably hot friend who he liked very much- in a very unfriendly  
manner.

"Fine." Ryan sighed, sitting on the floor and placing the sheets of music on  
his lap. He gazed up at Chad, who looked back at him with patience, concern  
and worry clear in his chocolate-brown eyes.

"Well?" Chad pressed. Ryan sighed quietly, and looked down at the floor.

"After the fight, when I thought about it more, I figured out that it was my  
fault that you got hurt, and I don't think we should be friends, not after  
Dennis' and Anthony's threats. So maybe, after the project, we should stop  
talking to each other, and--"

Chad smiled.

"Evans, the fight wasn't your fault, so quit bringing yourself down about it.  
Dennis said some things about you, and I stood up for you because it was the  
right thing to do, not just because you're my friend. And you fought him  
too, if I'm not mistaken. Don't you remember? You jabbed him in  
his...uh... sacred place." 

Ryan's frown turned into a small, unsure smile.

"Yeah, but you didn't have to. Stand up for me, that is."

"I'm on the basketball team, and you're a twig. Well, a twig who could kick  
a guy where it hurts, but what I'm saying is that I can defend others and  
myself. You didn't have to do anything."

"But, I did though. You looked like you needed some help." Ryan stated  
hesitantly, grinning.

Chad chuckled.

"True. But, now Dennis and Anthony are totally going to kick our butts, so  
why drift apart when we're so much better together." Chad said calmly,  
shrugging.

Ryan finally laughed, and so did Chad, the laughter rang in the empty  
auditorium.

'So much better together…' Ryan thought miserably, 'if only that  
meant what I wished it did mean.'

Finally, after a few moments of laughing, Chad grew serious again, and faced  
Ryan.

"Remember when I told you that I had a crush on someone?" he asked slowly,  
nervously rubbing his hands together.

Ryan's hands began to feel clammy, but he smiled at Chad despite.

How could he not forget that? It was what he thought about whenever he had  
the chance to think about Chad. The person Chad liked… it wasn't him, for  
sure. And that fact alone made Ryan sick to his stomach and depressed to the  
nth degree.

"Yes..." he said slowly, encouraging Chad to go on.

Chad blushed, and he forced himself to look directly at Ryan as he spoke.

"Well, the guy I like has sexy blonde hair, stunning blue eyes and lives for  
drama class."

Ryan had his eyes shut as Chad was rattling off his dream guy, but he froze  
when he heard Chad's description.

"He's… the guy you like- he's me?" Ryan stuttered with surprise,  
his mouth open in an 'o'. Chad chuckled anxiously, and nodded,

"Seriously? I thought you'd like Troy or something! Not someone… like me!"

Chad grinned.

"Well, he isn't gay, and he's dating Gabriella, so I wouldn't have a chance  
at all if I were even interested. But he's been very helpful through this  
whole thing, so I'd rather have him as...well...just as a best friend." Chad  
confessed.

Ryan smiled, elation clearly shining from every pore on his skin.

"Well, I'm glad you like me. I mean...I thought you didn't like me, because  
I'm gay or annoying, or something."

Chad tossed his head back and laughed while Ryan blushed.

"Evans, that was before I knew I was even gay! And if I weren't, I'd still  
like you as a friend, no less, because you're pretty cool. For a drama  
geek." Chad told him, teasingly nuggy-ing him on the head. Ryan slapped the  
hand away and giggled.

Ryan started to lean in to kiss Chad, but Chad stopped him with a mischievous  
grin.

"Whoa there, big guy. We have a project to work on, remember?"

Ryan leaned back, a bit disappointed and let down.

"Oh, yeah..."

Chad laughed, surprising Ryan as he bent down and caught his lips with his  
own. He closed his eyes, and Ryan instantly realized that the future might  
just be a teensy bit brighter now that he had what he wanted.


	10. A New Relationship Grows

**Author's Note**: Yes, the final chapter! And I will be doing a sequel, but just when everything dies down, and when I can find a moment to sit down and actually write it, lol. Enjoy!

So, this was it.  
This was the day that East High would witness Chad Danforth and Ryan Evans,  
two socially different people, dancing with each other.  
And Chad was actually happy, happier than he ever thought he could be about  
dancing. But still, a touch of sadness lingered, because after confessing to  
Ryan his admiration, he thought things would change drastically, and he and  
Ryan would be together by now.  
"Ready, partner?"  
Chad smiled up at the blonde-haired boy, his smile even bigger than Ryan's  
was. He could wait.  
"Of course." Chad replied with surety.  
A few people who came into the room glared at them: obviously, they heard  
from Dennis and Anthony. But Chad realized that he didn't care about that  
anymore.  
All he cared about was Ryan liking him in a way that was more than a friend.  
Mrs. Zismar looked up when the bell rang, and stood in front of the waiting  
class.  
"Since Ryan and Chad did a music video, they have volunteered to go first."  
Ryan and Chad both stood up, and went to the front of the room, glancing at  
their classmates.  
Chad looked at Ryan, whose shocking blue eyes were cast down at the ground.  
To say the least, Chad could tell he was nervous. Chad patted Ryan on the  
back once for encouragement, before turning towards the class.  
"Ryan and I did a music video for the Bailamos dance. We worked long and  
it, so we hope you enjoy it." Chad said, aware of the looks he got from  
several people. A few anonymous classmates snickered as Chad said 'we worked  
long and hard'. Chad fought the urge to roll his eyes at their immaturity,  
but didn't feel the want as insistently as his eyes glanced over at an  
embarrassed, blushing Ryan. He cleared his throat before nodding to Miss  
Zismar, and the music video was showed on the screen.  
It suddenly grew very quiet, and first time at all that day, Chad felt the  
tiniest bit edgy.  
Chad expected a harsh, long booing session, with rotten fruits thrown at  
them, not silence above belief that a jock and a drama boy were dancing  
together.  
When the music video ended, Chad looked at Ryan, and Ryan looked back. Then  
they faced their classmates, who erupted in loud, excited whispers. Even  
Ryan's own sister looked flabbergasted.  
"Wonderfully done, Chad and Ryan! Okay, class. Questions? Comments?" Miss  
Zismar asked, clasping her hands together, and Troy raised his hand.  
"Yes, Troy?" she asked.  
"Well, I liked it. It was cool." He said, flashing Chad and Ryan a playful  
grin.  
"Me too." Gabriella replied, while Taylor and Kelsi nodded enthusiastically.  
One by one, following Troy's example, everyone pitched in to say what he or  
she thought on the music video. Chad was grinning now, and so Ryan, who  
finally looked up from the ground.  
When everyone got done giving their thoughts, Miss Zismar instructed Chad and  
Ryan to sit down. Chad grinned at a still flushed Ryan before taking his seat  
next to Troy.  
"Dude, what just happened?" Chad asked Troy in a daze when Zeke and Sharpay  
went up to do their own presentation.  
"Well, I think people actually liked your music video, but they were too  
afraid of what other people would say to show how much they really liked the  
whole thing. Not everyone is like Dennis or Anthony, you know?"  
Chad smiled.  
"Yeah, I know."  
After Creative Writing class was over, Chad was at his locker, his mind  
milling over what had happened during that class period.  
'I must have been dreaming...' He thought, as he closed his locker.  
He nearly jumped out of his skin when he found Ryan leaning against a locker  
next to Chad's own with his arms crossed.  
Chad leaped back, totally frightened, and Ryan laughed.  
"Evans!" he exclaimed playfully, while the blonde laughed even harder.  
"Sorry, it's just… your face!"  
Chad's surprised expression turned into a smile as he watched Ryan control  
himself, wiping away some stray tears.  
"So, what did you think about the project?" Ryan asked as he and Chad walked  
through the halls together.  
"It was...interesting." Chad commented, making Ryan smile.  
"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting it!"  
"Evans, I can't believe you looked down the whole time!" Chad replied  
incredulously, and Ryan laughed again.  
"I know…"  
As they were nearing their destination, Chad's face clearly showed that he  
had an idea, and Ryan looked up at him, curious.  
"What?" he asked.  
"Look… I know that the project is over now, and we don't have to meet up  
after school and stuff, but that doesn't mean we have to stop hanging out like  
that. How about meet in the auditorium today?" Chad asked.  
Ryan's face lit up, but as fast as it had lightened, his expression fell as  
he remembered something.  
"Can't. Sharpay wants me to help her practice her speech for some dinner  
party. I wish I could, though..."  
"Cancel it, Evans. Please?" Chad asked, pouting. Ryan sighed with a smile,  
already looking caved in.  
"What will I ever do about your neediness?" Ryan asked mock-seriously,  
shaking his head and faking sadness. Chad burst out laughing, and Ryan  
chuckled along before saying,  
"I'll be there."  
"Cool. Well, I'll see you at three o' clock?" Chad asked, heading towards his  
next class.  
"Of course." Ryan agreed without another moment's hesitation, grinning as  
he brushed his hand 'accidentally' on Chad's arm.  
Chad gave Ryan a fleeting smile before heading into Mrs. Meyers' room,  
thinking about crystal blue eyes and an unearthly smile that seemed to light  
up an entire room. 


End file.
